Clothes-lifter.



W. H. WOOD.

CLOTHES LIFTER.

APPLICATION men JAN-17, 191s.

'lfifiSAfiQ 111611161 Jan.15, 1918.

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WALTER Hi. ween, or sna'rrrrin', wnsrrrnerou.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nail. in, rare.

Application filed January 17,1916. 'Seria1No.-72,629.

To all whom itmay concern Be it known that I, \VALTER Woon,

"citizen of, the United States, residing at in which they have beenboiled, and the object of my invention is to provide a handy clotheslitter of reticular form which may be disposed within a wash-boileradjacent to the bottom thereof to support clothes during the operationof boiling them, and whi h may be operated to lift all of such clothesout of. said wash-boiler by a, single movement, or to lift them out alltogether step by step to rest them at one stage after another, thus topermit, the, water in which theywere boiled to drain from them.

I accomplish this object by devices illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a clothes lifter embodyingmy invention as it appears unassociated with a wash-boiler and with allof its parts disposed in the same plane; Fig. 2 is an enlarged View ofthe samein side elevation as it appears in one of its serviceablepositions in association with a wash-boiler which is shown in verticalmid-section; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of a detail ofmy invention.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numeralsindicate like parts, 4 designates a reticular rack, whose shape inoutline corresponds to the contour of the bottom 5 of a wash-boiler 6 ofthe most common form.

Articulated to the opposite ends 7 and 8 of said rack 4, by means ofrings 9 and 10 respectively, are end links 11 and 12 of two oppositelydisposed suspension chains whose other end links 13 and 14,respectively, are formed to adapt them to serve as handholes by whichthe structure may be lifted.

Between the links 11 and 13 of one of said chains are intervening links15, 16 and 17, and between the links 12 and 14 of the other of saidchains are intervening links 18, 19 and 20.

The several links of both of said suspens on chains are each formed of asingle piece of wire bent to form a link that is about as broad as itislong, and on each side of each of the links 11, 15, 16 and 17 and ofeach of the links 12, 18, 19 and 20, on that end more distant from therack 4, is formed a hook, as hooks 21, 22, 23 and 24, so that when-therack 4 is disposed within the washhoiler 6 the required opposite pairsof said hooks may be disposed to hook on to the top edges of therespective opposite end walls of said wash-boiler 6 to suspend the rack4 at a desired one of different dis tances from thehottom 5 of saidwash-boiler 6,as shown in Fig. 2 where the hooks 24 01 thelinks 17 and20 are disposed in the manner described to suspend, the rack 4 in aplane not far distant from the bottom 5 of thewash-boiler 6., H

To utilize my clot es lifter, it is disposed within a wash-boiler 6, asshown in, Fig.2 and thereupon a suitable quantity of water is pouredinto said wash-boiler 6, then the clothes to be boiled are deposited on,the rack 4 whereupon the links 13 and 14 are grasped by ones hand andthe suspension chains are raised to disengage the hooks 24, then thelinks l3-and 14 are moved toward each other and the rack 4 is lowered torest on the bottom 5, the top ends of the suspension chains being thenthrown inwardly to rest on the top of the pile of clothes, and

thereupon a cover, not shown, may be disposed in its place to cover saidwash-boiler during the operation of boiling said clothes.

After the operation of boiling said clothes then the wash-boiler isuncovered and the links 13 and 14 are again grasped to raise the rack 4,with its load of clothes, wholly out of the wash-boiler by a singlemovement and then carry them to a desired point for further treatment,or, the suspension chains may be raised by successive movementssuccessively to engage the opposite ones of the different pairs of hooks21, 22, 23 and 24 with the top edges of the opposite end walls of thewash-boiler 6 thus, in an obvious manner, to suspend said rack 4 insuccessively higher planes for such suitable length of time as may berequired to drain the water from said clothes.

In order to prevent clothes from being caught by the different hooks, ashooks 21, 22, 23 and 24, each or any number of the several links of thesuspension chains, like the links 11 and 15 and the links 12 and 18, maybe provided with shields of wires disposed criss-eross between thecross-bars of adjacent links, like the Wires 25 on said links 11, 15, 12and 18 as shown more clearly in Fig. l, or said links may each beprovided with a shield of thin sheet metal extending between theopposite bars thereof, like the shields 26 shown in Fig. 3.

When a'clotheslifter, embodying my invention as hereinbefore described,is made of such small size as will adapt it for use .m connection w1ththe smaller sizes'of washboilers, it may be lifted from the washboilerwhen loaded with clothes, with case 7 by a laundress, but since theemployment of a larger size of such clothes litter in connection with alarger wash-boiler might involve the expenditure of much greater energy,I have provided a looped cord, as looped cord 27, attached to the rings9 and 10 respectively, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2, which may bedisposed to extend upedge of the wash-boiler may be used as a fulcrum,whereby the clothes stick 28 may be manipulated as a lever to raise thesus pension chain one link at a time first on one end of the wash-boiler6 and then on the other end thereof alternately and successively toengage the hooks 23, 22 and 21 with the top edge of the wash-boiler 6 inan obvious manner to drain the water from. the clothes and after therack 4 is suspended by the hooks 21 for a suflicient length of of myinvention without departing from the spirit thereof.

lVhat I claim is: r

A clothes lifter for wash boilers including a reticulated rack, andmeans attached to opposite edge portions of said rack for adjust-ablysupporting the same at ditferent distances above the bottom of a washboiler,

each of said means including a plurality of U shaped links each havingits ends loosely coiled about the adjacent link between the leg portionsthereof to hingedly connect the same, said ends of all the links beingextended to provide a serles of spaced lntegral pairs of hooks adaptedto engage over the s top edge of a wash boiler.

In witness whereof, I, hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day ofJanuary A. D., 1916. r

WALTER H. wool).

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. j a 7

